Radioactive Fallout

“You can protect yourself from… RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT” – 1955

The anxieties of many during the Cold War were centered on the idea that an atomic bomb might be dropped on United States soil. Due to the powerful nature of the feeling of fear, playing into this sense was very effective as a propaganda tool, especially during the beginning of the Cold War just ten years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. This early Cold War era poster was released by the United States Office of Civil Defense in 1955. It depicts an explosion and mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb just after it has detonated in what is presumed to be a United States city. The text of the poster reads, “You can protect yourself from… RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT. Get the facts from your Civil Defense Director!” The area below this text would then be labeled with the date, time, and location of an upcoming local Civil Defense class.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was formed as an independent agency in 1941 to “coordinate community health initiatives and medical care” in case of a military attack against the United States. During the Cold War, the OCD established community based courses addressing proper responses to possible disasters like the detonation of a nuclear bomb or chemical warfare. After the Cold War, the agency was dissolved back into the blanket of the Department of Defense (Whisnant).

This poster, along with other pieces of visual propaganda produced by the Office of Civil Defense would have been posted around U.S. cities in storefronts, government buildings, schools, and other highly visible areas. This poster series was released by the OCD in conjunction with short films addressing safety measures to be taken such as “Duck and Cover” from 1951, featuring Bert the Turtle. This specific poster was also featured in the 1956 OCD short film “Alert Today – Alive Tomorrow,” where it is seen being hung up by a teacher in a school (Alert Today – Alive Tomorrow). The idea of these types of safety classes would be to spread a sense of comfort to United States citizens in showing that the U.S. Government was prepared to deal with a major attack by a foreign enemy on United States soil. The fact remains that no one can actually prepare for nuclear fallout; however, by employing this type of propaganda campaign, the United States government could retain the faith of their citizens. Furthermore, the locality of such events would bring small and large communities together and also build local and national spirit within them.

This type of appeal fits into the Institute for Propaganda Analysis’ “card stacking” device of propaganda. The Institute defines this technique as, “using distractions to give the best or worse possible case for an idea, program, person, or product.” (Jowett and O’Donnell, 258). This 1955 poster takes the distraction of a nuclear safety class to give the best case scenario for the possible explosion of a nuclear bomb in the United States. Additionally, it uses the logo of the Office of Civil Defense as a tool to show the viewer that the Government is taking every last measure to be secure and avoid chaos in the event of such a tragedy.